Queen Anne's County, MD Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

Electrical work in unincorporated Queen Anne's County, including Kent Island, runs on three layers: a County license, a permit and an inspection standard. Section 11-17 sits in Chapter 11 (Electrical Examiners) and does two jobs. First, it protects work done by someone other than a licensed electrician, as long as the work is performed under the direction and supervision of a duly licensed master or restricted electrician who remains responsible for all of it. Second, subsection C sets a deadline for the case where no building permit applies: any modification of circuitry requiring an electrical permit must be secured within 10 business days of commencement of work. That subsection was added 2-14-2017 by Ord. No. 16-23.

The code standard is the National Electrical Code. Section 11-19 requires all work installed under the chapter to follow the National Electrical Code, current edition. Section 10-1 E, amended 9-28-2021 by Ord. No. 21-08, lists the current 2017 National Electrical Code, NFPA 70, among the adopted codes. Section 10-4 exempts smoke detectors from any requirement to be wired into an arc fault circuit interrupter, specifically including Section 210.12(B).

Farm buildings escape the Building Code but not electrical permits: Section 101.2 and the farm building exemption in Section 105.2 both say the owner must still obtain required electrical permits. During construction, Section 108.3 authorizes the Building Official to permit power to be temporarily supplied and used in part of an electrical installation before it is fully completed and the final certification of completion has been issued.

Hookups carry their own gate. Under § 11-20 an electric company cannot attach its power lines or an electric meter to a consumer's property unless the work was installed by a master electrician licensed under the chapter, and not until a temporary or permanent meter cut-in certificate has been issued by an inspection agency or a department designated by the County Commissioners. The certificate is issued in duplicate and sent to the power company. The Board can issue a special permit to a contractor needing electricity during construction.

If the licensed electrician on a permitted job is terminated, § 11-23 requires a registered letter to the permit office within seven days, a job inspection with all inspectors present, and a new permit filed by the replacement electrician before starting any work.